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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
This article originally published on December 22
Gray Maynard entered the UFC in 2007 through the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter. A former division one wrestler at the University of Michigan, where he roomed with future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans, Maynard was only two fights into his career when he made his UFC debut.
Now, three and a half years and an 8-0-1 mark in the Octagon has brought Maynard a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship for the first time at UFC 125, against a man he's already defeated in Frankie Edgar.
"It's the perfect time [for this shot]," Maynard said on a conference call for the event this week. "[Frankie] had the chance and he took it, the time is now for me and I'm prepared."
The first meeting between the two fighters took place in April of 2008, a fight Maynard won by decision. However, Maynard realizes that both fighters have changed, and that both will be different fighters come January 1 in Las Vegas.
"It was two and a half years ago," Maynard said. "Any time you're going up against the top of the world you evolve and change, so I've prepared for a new fight.
"You have to evolve in all areas or you'll get beat."
This fight is a first for Maynard, as it will be the first time he'll have competed in a five round fight in his career. But that fact hasn't made him change his training regimen drastically by any means.
"Usually I do an eight week camp but this camp turned out to be about 12 weeks," Maynard said. "It's just a lot more, you just add on two [rounds] it's easy, I'm going to be prepared."
As for how this rematch may play out when the two have fought before, Maynard refused to give any predictions, and credited the Champion's skills and toughness heading into the fight.
"He's a tough kid, he's quick, he moves a lot," Maynard said. "It's hard for me to tell you, 'it's going to happen like this or like this.' We're going to see and it's going to happen on January 1."
The event takes place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 1, 2011, and will air live on pay-per-view.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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